The Bigger Picture Gabrielle Louise H. Aves Victory Christian International School
When I was seven years old, I witnessed two of my friends sitting together, laughing, at lunch. As I sat down next to them, my friend sighed—almost obnoxiously, really. “Does anyone have any food?” she asked. My other friend was flippant, but responded anyway. “I have a pack of Oreos.” Of course, she took delight in this. She sat up straight and excitedly asked, “Can I have some?” “Oh, I already ate them.” We both stared at our friend, and my first friend had a look on her face as if she had been betrayed in the most offensive way. Maybe she did feel that way. Growing up, I began to take in my surroundings. I discovered that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Neither was the Tooth Fairy. I found out that the reason my hamster had died was because I overfed it, and I didn’t even know that was possible. And although these may seem like puerile things to hold onto, I can never forget them. I was deceived, even in the littlest ways possible, and that feeling of treachery can never really be forgotten, though they can definitely be repressed. With everything that’s happening with the world—everything that’s happening with yourself—it gets harder and harder to keep looking past every difficulty. You absorb it, and it begins to tear at you until you eventually fall and it can no longer rip any part of you. But that’s just you. What about the person sitting behind you in class? Or the man serving you when you and your friends decide to go out for brunch? Each person has a